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Sunday, April 30, 2006

but it started out sunny!

i'm dead center in the photo, head down, white jersey and blue shoes. think we got wet? photo courtesy of stlbiking.com.


although i wasn't feeling so peachy for today's crit, it was sunny and quite a bit warmer than yesterday, so i was in great spirits. the field was a bit bigger today, with 50+ guys.

the forest park crit doesn't give me a chance to showcase any of my strengths. ok, rephrase. it works on my weaknesses. namely, horsepower. the long, flat, wide straights just work against me. the race was fast and furious from the gun. attack after attack. then, a couple of guys got away. and the attacks kept coming. riders kept dropping off the pack, sometimes leaving a gap to fill, which was a real bear if it happened down the front straight where the headwind was strong.

the sun was still shining at about the 30 minute mark, yet we were feeling raindrops. in another couple of laps, the sun was gone, the drops became real rain and the last corner was giving me trouble. very SLICK!!

i hadn't realized that we swallowed the break during the heavy rain. i was content to stay midpack while it was raining so hard. at the 45 minute mark, the announcer said the race would be shortened to 65 minutes, and just then the lightning strike and thunder changed everyone's mind. the very next lap, the announcer said "ONE TO GO!" normally, i would get psyched to hit it, but the course was too dangerous. thinking that there were still riders off the front, i figured i'd just coast in. lucky for me, because there was a big crash in the last corner. i think if i knew the race was still wide open, i would've been more in the mix. oh well. better to ride again blah, blah, blah. i'm looking forward to the coming off-road races!

3 comments:

Pedal Brake Pedal by TK said...

you're right! they always tell me to be safe.

Bike Drool said...

That is a cool picture!

Luke Musselman said...

Speaking of off-roading...there is an extra Rush 2000 at the shop. Feel free to take it out.